Morning skate transcript: Alain Vigneault

Q. Coach, do you resent what happened yesterday with your
assistants being asked to leave the Canadiens practice, and what is your
reaction to the reason why?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, we were treated very unfairly yesterday.
There is no rule. There was no agreement between both teams. That is the
exception, not the rule. I mean, I’ve been asked in the past to do this on
a couple of occasions. Usually the coach calls me or the GM calls the GM,
never happened. What happened yesterday was uncalled for. Without a
doubt, my staff handled it with a lot of class, just like our team, play
whistle to whistle, don’t get involved with the other stuff. We’re very
credible. This is the National Hockey League, and that type of behavior,
we’re lucky it didn’t escalate.

Q. Just wanted to ask you about something else you said yesterday.
Therrien made a reference to knowing exactly what Brassard’s injury is.
Did that bother you at all or did you interpret that as threatening in any
way?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Let’s put it this way, I hope nothing happens to
Brass, the player, and Michel could be in trouble.

Q. Yeah, the level of gamesmanship seems to have really ratcheted
up. Some of the Canadiens question the severity of Derek’s injury, Derek
Stepan. Is the level of gamesmanship getting out of hand, would you say?
COACH VIGNEAULT: I can’t speak for the other organization. If you
ask me about Step, he’s got a broken jaw that just got operated on. I
answered about the incident yesterday. I can’t comment on their players
saying Step’s injury is fishy. We’re trying to play whistle to whistle.
We’re trying to do the right things. I know in the hockey world we were
painted as dishonest and dishonorable; we’re not. We follow the rules. We
follow the rules on the ice, and we will follow the rules off the ice.

Q. Coach, to the man in the locker room they are echoing the same
sentiments. They want to play the game and stay out of it. How difficult
is it for you to have to deal with that and trying to get them to focus on
that? Does that take away from some of the game planning as well?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, I mean, hockey is a beautiful game. It’s
done by great competitors on both teams. I wish a lot of this stuff didn’t
happen. When it does, you deal with it. I don’t think it has a major
effect, if any, on the ice. I don’t think it helps our game, but some
people decide otherwise.

Q. Coach, nothing on Derek since you mentioned him? Obviously, he
was out this morning.
COACH VIGNEAULT: He’s recovering at home. He stopped by this
morning quickly to say hi to his teammates. He’s recovering at home, and
there is no timetable at this time.

Q. With all the other stuff that was said yesterday particularly of
Briere saying that McDonagh slashes as much as any other defenseman. Is
that insulting given what Mack does?
COACH VIGNEAULT: You can make what you want of it. Ryan McDonagh
plays the game in an honorable way. He’s one of the best defensemen in the
league in my estimation. The Habs can have their own view.

Q. With all that’s gone on, does your desire to beat this team grow
with everything that’s gone on?
COACH VIGNEAULT: My desire before the series started was as high as
it could be, and we want to move on and compete for the Stanley Cup. This
other fluff-fluff stuff, you’d have to ask them.

Q. Coach, wanted to see if there was an update on Brassard? I know
you’ve spoken a lot about him on that line with Duke and Pouliot?
COACH VIGNEAULT: Iâ€™d say he’s a game-time decision.

Q. So if he is back, what kind of boost would you expect from that
line as you’ve said before, it’s been maybe the most consistent line all
season on this team?
COACH VIGNEAULT: I expect exactly that from them. I expect them to
go out. They’ve had big moments in big games. Tonight, without a doubt,
for both teams it’s a huge game. Both teams know the importance of it, and
I’m sure we’re going to have a great hockey game.

Q. From all that’s been said from their side, has your relationship
with Michel Therrien been impacted at all by this?
COACH VIGNEAULT: I think he said prior to the series, for this
two-week period, we’re not really friends and he’s probably right.

Q. I know your team’s speed has been a plus for you all season,
particularly in this series, it seems like it’s given the Habs trouble.
Could you talk about Carl Hagelin and his speed and what kind of challenges
he’s presented.
COACH VIGNEAULT: When Carl plays a north-south game, a quick game.
He can be a handful for any defenseman in the league. Like I mentioned
prior to this, like on the left side with him and Kreids and Benny, you
have three guys there that have a lot of speed and it can make it
challenging for the opposition, if you use it in the right way at the right
time, and I think for the most part, Hags has done that for us.
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Pro Hockey is becoming increasingly schizophrenic. The Buttmans et al. wax poetic about the nobility and integrity of the game, yet know full well that all the growing trash talk and on-ice psychopathy sells expensive tickets and builds TV revenue. Ali saved boxing in his day, and the Nastases, Connors, McEnroes, etc. enticed people who know nothing about tennis tuning in. Bread and circuses. The Carcillo ten-game thing is a sham in order to to hide it all under a phony cloak of propriety and he is the mendaciously and hypocritically targeted scapegoat.

Bottom line – the coach of les canadiens is a lowlife who has brought dishonor to the most prestigious franchise in hockey. Much as I despise the bruins, I’m beginning to understand why they were so ticked off. Our rangers need to fully understand this is a clear strategy to get teams who have more skill off their game. I know they do and I expect a poised, controlled and highly energetic effort tonight and a solid win. Finish these guys off and let’s compete for the Stanley cup this year!

Agree Markus, Its just a bunch of Abracadabra do make the Rangers think differently, but my guess is AV is smart enough to let the Rangers know no to take it seriously. The Rangers did a great job of focusing the first two rounds they just need to continue it.

Lucic – “The Habs will need a new coach soon as I will kill this one again and again. And again. I’ll drive nails into his eardrums, ill stab him and shoot him. I will kill his assistant coaches, the GM, the owner, their fans, the entire Kay Beck province. I’ll kill North America. I’ll Kill the northern Hemisphere. I’ll Kill every one on earth. I’ll kill people already dead. People not born. Old people, new people. No one will escape. i’ll go on a rampage after that and kill anyone not already dead”

Coos @ 12:19 … Bullseye. Touve elequently and succinctly uncovered the real “conspiracy” . And the saps of the league, like Carcillo, continue to take it on the chin for the “greater g$$d” of everyone else.

My blood is boiling. I would pay handsomely to have an opportunity to beat the drop out of a number of Thorozine and any number of Canadiens for the classless attest to get the Ranger players off focus. The rhetoric they spew is ridiculous. The whine which they spill goes back to the Bruin series and continues stronger than ever. Have they no decency?

In spite of my own personal venom…..I do agree with those who stated earlier and who have been stating all along, Rangers will be best served to disregard and play. I believe this team can and will do that. Bruins didn’t, and look what happened.